Every third doctor in front-line regions is on the verge of psychological exhaustion. This is the conclusion reached by the ZDOROVI organization, which conducted a sociological survey together with the International Rescue Committee (IRC). Doctors answered questions about the level of stress they are trying to endure during Russia's war against Ukraine.

‍Doctors in frontline hospitals lose control and even break down on their colleagues from overwork and emotional stress.

“I started to lose my temper during interns, which I never did before. Sometimes even patients get annoyed. Recently, we had two patients in our department: the first is a man who is visited almost every day by his relatives, and next to him is a veteran. A young guy who lost a leg and an arm, who almost always lies alone. His loneliness is so hard for me that sometimes I just go to the closet, close the door and cry quietly. It’s embarrassing, it hurts, but I don’t know what to do about it,” doctor Volodymyr confessed.

‍Frontline hospitals are facing even greater challenges: many doctors and nurses have left these cities, and new ones are afraid to come so close to the front lines. More than 40 percent of hospitals in Ukraine are experiencing a shortage of specialists. This is also evidenced by the survey made by the ZDOROVI foundation. This forces many to work overtime, which increases the risk of quitting the profession and leaving patients without vital care.

‍“I hesitated for a long time. Am I doing the right thing? How can I leave what I have been building for years? How can I leave the patients and quit the job? But on the other hand, how can I continue to live in this vicious circle? The feeling of guilt for the "obligation" did not let go for a long time. But over time, I realized that I had to quit, because I was losing myself due to burnout,” nurse Tetyana.

‍The ZDOROVI Charity Foundation decided to help to support overworked doctors. For this, the foundation created the “Medicines for Doctors” project. It contained psychological trainings in 15 frontline hospitals in Ukraine. This project reached almost 1,000 healthcare professionals and helped them acquire important practices.

“Our psychologists shared incredible impressions of how overworked doctors and nurses literally came to life after the sessions. They learned to manage stress and learned exercises for self-soothing. After all, the lives of Ukrainians literally depend on such skills and their balance. By helping doctors, we are creating a new medicine in the country: effective and empathetic, and we invite you to join our movement to save every Ukrainian!”, Natalia Tulinova, CEO of ZDOROVI.

“It’s nice to see that we, doctors, are also taken care of with such trainings. But I know that we need more support …to continue fighting for the lives and health of Ukrainians and win,” - doctor Alla calls.

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